Arab League rejects any Israeli attempt to harm Iraq, warns of regional war

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Arab League has unanimously rejected any Israeli attempt to harm Iraq, warning of a “regional war.”

A resolution adopted by an emergency meeting of the pan-Arab body on Sunday condemned Israel’s attempt “to expand its aggressive practices in the region, including Iraq."

It warned of the “danger of an all-out Israeli escalation that risks sparking a broad regional war that threatens security and stability in the region."

“The resolution was adopted unanimously with the backing of all Arab delegations to show support for Iraq,” Qatari Ambassador to Egypt, Tariq Al-Ansari, said in a statement on Monday.

Sunday’s meeting was held at the level of permanent delegates upon Iraq’s request.

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that he had sent a letter to the president of the UN Security Council, which called for “immediate action” regarding pro-Iranian militias using Iraqi territory to attack Israel.

He called on the Security Council “to act urgently to make sure that the Iraqi government meets its obligations under international law and to make these attacks on Israel stop.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, for his part, warned that the Israeli letter could serve as a pretext for attacking his country.

Regional tension has escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 44,200 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

The conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war.

On Thursday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its brutal war on Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar